Jamaica has one of the worst records in the world on LGBT rights. Male same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 10 years in jail, and homophobic attitudes, harassment, and hate crimes are endemic across the LGBT spectrum. Filmmaker Micah Fink wants to tell the stories of two Jamaicans affected by homophobia, one of whom is a lesbian mom.
Fink has done projects for PBS, National Geographic, CNN, and HBO, and garnered three Emmy nominations, two Cine Golden Eagle Awards, a Silver Screen award, and an International Film and Video Award. His previous works include Glass Closet: Sex, Stigma, and HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, a five-part series for PBS World Focus “exploring the links between AIDS, homophobia, anti-gay violence and skyrocketing HIV infection rates in Jamaica’s gay community.
His new project is An Abominable Crime. Here’s a short summary and trailer from the Kickstarter site where he is trying to raise funds to complete the film:
What is AN ABOMINABLE CRIME about?
AN ABOMINABLE CRIME is a documentary that explores the culture of homophobia in Jamaica through the eyes of two Jamaicans who are forced to chose between their homeland and their lives — after their sexual orientations are exposed…
This film tells the stories of…
Simone Edwards, a young lesbian who survives being shot down outside of her home by anti-gay gunmen and must choose between living in hiding with her daughter in Jamaica or traveling alone to seek safety and asylum abroad.
Maurice Tomlinson, a human rights activist and lawyer, who experienced an avalanche of death threats when his marriage to a Canadian man is revealed by a Jamaican Newspaper. Does he dare to return to Jamaica to continue his activism?
Why make a documentary about gay Jamaicans?
Homophobia is a human rights problem, and the struggle for equal treatment of LBGT people is a global human rights issue.
Don’t forget to check out (and consider supporting) these other in-progress film projects about lesbian and gay families, The Gay Dad Project and Gayby Baby.
